Read about Gary Priore ’10 New York Beard & Co. who attended Suffolk County Community College and took classes in Entrepreneurship.

Natural ingredients

Ronkonkoma resident Gary Priore said he hated how greasy most men’s grooming products made his beard look and feel, so earlier this year he set out to make his own.

The 33-year-old, who works at a medical diagnostics company, went online to research “do-it-yourself” beard-balm-making methods and started experimenting with his own formulas.

Then in February he enlisted the help of his cousin, Robert Keil, and opened New York Beard & Co.

Priore now sells beard balm in four scents, including Long Island Classic, which contains vanilla and mint, and Uptown Funk, which features notes of patchouli and lemon, on his company website, nybeardco.com and at Long Island farmers’ markets.

Beard-balm tins, a little wider than a quarter, cost $5, and larger ones, about as wide as the palm of a hand, cost $15.

Priore uses a slow cooker and a hot plate to mix and melt ingredients at home and says the process of making one batch, which fills about 150 containers, takes about six hours.

“I don’t use dyes or artificial ingredients, only beeswax, natural butters and essential oils,” he said. Priore recently made a deal with Lunabee Apiary in South Setauket to source beeswax for his balm.

“Being able to offer a product that’s as organic and natural as possible is important to me because I feel that’s our niche, it’s what sets us apart from larger producers,” he said.